A coepoeation oe wis



Oct. 2, 1928. 1,685,920

E. J. Kr-:ARNEY MACHINE TOOL KNEE STRUCTURE Filed Dc. l5, 1923 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 2, Z.

EDWARD J. KEARNEY, OF WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO KEARNEY &

TRECKER CORPORATION, OF WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- coNsIN.

MACHINE-TOOL KNEE STRUCTURE.

Application led December 15, 1923.l Serial No. 681,010.

f- This invention relates to improvements in a machine tool knee structure, and with particular reference to knee structures such as theknee of the machine ordinarily known as 'a knee type milling machine.

To fully explain the advantages of' my invention, Iv shall briey describe the ordinary machine structure as used on various wellknown knee types of millingmachines. "In these machines, a column provides a stationary support for both the work and the tool.V

The tool is ordinarily rotatable but other- `wise xed in its relation to the supporting column, while the work is ordinarily provided with three movements relative to the tool and column including a vertical movement: a cross, or in and out movement, and a longitudinal or right and left movement. jThe work is ordinarily supported upon a table or platen, which is supported by and guidedY in a suitable sli'deway in an underlyingvsa-ddle, thus' providing for the longitudinalmovement of the work. rIhe saddle is in turn yslidably supported upon and guided 'by the knee, thus providing the cross, or in and out movement, while the knee is slidably supported upon and-guided by the column, thus providingthe vertical movement.V

The slideway providing relative movement between knee and saddle, must ordinarily be relatively limited in length as any considerable length in the direction of this slideway, or'outwardly from the column face, interferes with the machine operator in his position for most convenient general operation of the-machine. This necessitates'a-comparatively vshort saddleA in the direction of this slideway, since the saddle must be still shorter than the knee in this direction by an amount approximating the total cross, or in and out.

work movement. The slideway must nevertheless be relatively broad in order to properly resist the .forces set up by the rotating cutter, which act largely in a direction trans-- Y'verse to the ylength of the slideway.

Generally speaking, a relatively broad and short guide'does not provide a good construction for machine toolslides, and it is therefore customary to retain the breadth of the support but decrease they width of guide, this beingaccomplishedordinarily by means includingadepression or groove in the center of the slideway on the top of the knee, and

extending the full length of the slideway.

tempted to move the saddle from the one of its outward positions of adjustment to an inward position close to the face of the column.

One of the main objects of this invention is to avoid the inconvenience and possible machine damage from chips accumulating as described in that portion of the depression in the top of the knee situated between the saddle and the column face. i

Another purpose is toprovide a channel whereby cutter cooling iiuid may return from the cutter to the base of the machine without flowing over exterior portions of the knee.

, Another object is to improve the knee structure and to add to the convenience of operation and utility of a milling machine of the knee type.

The special means by which the above purposes are accomplished will now be described in detail in one of the preferred embodiments, reference being` had. to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a partial general view in side elevation of a milling machine of the knee type in which my invention is embodied, but

.from which many details of the complete mawell known. In this view only a fragmentary portion of a column 4 is shown, sufhcient to show its function as a support for a table l, saddle 2, and knee 3.

Figure 2 is a general view in front 'elevation of the table, saddle and knee shown in Figure l. In this vview the column has-been omitted. i

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken horizontally thru the knee structure along the lines 3 3 of Figure l.

The knee v3 slides vertically upon and is guided by a slideway on the face of column 4:, adjustment for sliding clearance being provided by the means of a `ib 6 of ordinaryeconstruction.

j Arslidewayhaving portions 7 and 8, supports aiid guides the saddle 2, the portion S heilig both a guide and a support whilethe portion 7 acts only as a support for resisting` downward pressure. The saddle is guided for cross, or in and out movement, by the faces 9 and l() on the portion 8, while a gib 11 of ordinary construction provides an ad 4justine'nt. for the guiding function.

The `gib 11 is retained between the face 10 and a downwardly projecting portion 12 of the saddle 2*,the projecting portion 12 `acting a thrustblock on the saddle to transfer pressures from the `saddle tothe knee when vthe pressures are in the one direction, while .the portion 13 of the saddle 2 acts as a similar thrust block on the saddlefor pressuresin opposite direction, either thrust being transferr-ed tothe upwardly projecting knee slideL way portion 8 5 there being clearance provided at 14 and "15 between knee and saddle to prevent side thrusts being taken at other points.

The down wardly:projecting portion 12 has clearance provided for its movement in `a groove or depression 12a interlying the two y'slide portions 7 an'd 8 as shown in Figure 2.

VTheknee portions 7 and 8 may, from another point of view, be vdescribed-as portions of 'aiknee top kplate in which 12 is "a groove or depression extending v'substantially the full length thereof.

The table 1 is supported and guided on the saddle 2 by means illustrated in Figures 1 'and 2, but which since they form no partof my invention will notvbe v'described in detail.

Means for raising or lowering the knee 3 lmay be-provided in a variety of forms well known in'the art, anda simple form of such 'means Ais `shown in Figure '1. It .is obvious t'lratn'ieans vmay likewise be provided as in ordinary practice for a relative cross actuation of thesadd'le 2 and a relative longitudinal actuation yof the table 1", but sincesuch devices 'form no part of my invention, they are omitted for the sake of clearness.

The knee portion embracing the `slide l5 on column 4 is formed in part by azplate ,16, a portion 17 of which projects vabove the slide 7 'in 'order 'to lengthen vthe 'bearing of vthe knee on the `column while maintaining :a lrelatively low relation between the table 1 and the floor upon which column 1 rests.

yDirectly adjacent to the vrplate 1G open *passage or channel 18, extends thru the knee 3 fromtop to bottoni, the plate 16 forming the rear wall of the passage.

Aribor .platew19 extending 'from side to side ofthe knee 3 forms afront wall for the passage y18, while the side walls of the passage or channel `may be formed by the side walls 2O and 21 of the knee, which are mater-V It will be evident that chips, which would Y ordinarily in existing machines fall between saddle 2andthegfaee of column 4:,and in large part collect in the rear portion of tegroove or depression '12;Il between the saddle2 yand the projeetingplate portion 17, may mainly tall directly thru the passage `or channel 18, and that such chips as do collect in this portion 'of the depression l2 will be :forced backward and lfall thru tlie channel, should the saddle -2 begmoved rearwardly.` l, j

:lt will also be evident that the channel 18 in ay provide a passageway for any fluids used for the cooling ofcutter or work.,

Having thus described my invention, I claimtv g I y,

1. A-maehine tool knee structure comprising a Iplate formingpfortions ofa slideway adapted to guider said structure Vfor vertical movements, a plurality of walls fixed with said .plate 'and extending` therefrom inpl'anes substantial-lyvertieal to -the y:plane vof said-i plate, and av rib extending from the onefto the 'other of said walls and .lying in `YaJ plane" arallel to vtheplaneof said plate, ,saidfp' ate, walls,"and -rib forming a assa'ge thru said structure adjacent said sli eway wandhaving.

openends. y I A Y v 2. A machinetoolknee structure havinga slideway adaptedI to guideithe structure for vertical movement, vaypluralityV of side ywalls fixed with saidsl'ideway 'and extending in vertical planes, a channel thru Said structure `and havingv ,open ends-and a rib vextending between said c side V,wallstq laterally strengthen -bothsad walls and forming a kclosure for one side nfI 'saidchannel c Amaehine tool knee fstructuraxinclding 4vertical Astructure wallsand ghav'inga slideway :for .guiding the structurefr .yertical movements, and avertiealpassage thru `said structure and freely-'open iat both .ends

adjacent said slideway land having vertical side walls portions of said-passage wallsfbeling formed vby thickened portions o'f-said structure walls. 1

4. A machine tool, knee strutturecompris-v` I f ing a slideway `adapten-to guidethe structure for vertical lmovements, atopplate form- Y ing a. 'slideway Vadapted to guide a saddle for horizontal movements, a groove in `"saiditop plate extending substantially throughout the length thereof. and leading at lthe Von'eg'end into an opening in said top plate, land av verti-V `eal passage thru said structure; said opening forrniugfthe one end ofsaid passage.

5. In aI machine tool the combination "of a base portion and a knee vertically movable on an upward extension of said base portion; said knee comprising a vertical rear plate forming portions of a slideway adapted to guide said knee for vertical'movement, a horizontal top plate having side edge surfaces adapted to guide another member for horizontal movement, vertical side walls spaced apart and a bottom wall, said knee having an unrestricted vertical passageway adjacent 10 said rear plate, the upper opening of which lies between said side edge surfaces.

EDWARD J. KEARNEY. 

